


Perennial Love

by marvelousmsmol



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Beach House, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Light Angst, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, convenient kwami magic, sweet sweet cottagecore vibes, until it's not so convenient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 11:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30038091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelousmsmol/pseuds/marvelousmsmol
Summary: Ladybug and Adrien have been in a relationship for a while now but as things continue to get more serious between the two of them, they decided to take a weekend to themselves away from Paris to see exactly where things are going. While their romantic stay has its ups and downs, it seems that some of the things that go wrong are actually right.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 12
Kudos: 95





	Perennial Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [marimeetsmischief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marimeetsmischief/gifts).



> For my wonderful friend, marimeetsmischeif. Happy brithday!

Marinette stared at the packed bag next to her bed. She had spent the last week making all of the clothes she thought she would need, knowing that it would be dangerous to take any of her own. There was nothing she was forgetting to bring and enough food to last them a week would be picked up along the way. Marinette was prepared, but not ready.

“Marinette,” Tikki said, bringing her attention back to what was right in front of her. “You should take it now.”

Marinette looked down at the bubbling liquid inside the metal cup. She would have to meet Adrien in just two hours, and she had spent most of the night brewing the potion under Tikki’s careful instruction. Marinette nervously bit her lip as she looked at the finished product of their hours of work. 

“You really think this will work?” Marinette asked. “I’m a little scared to drink it.”

“Of course,” Tikki said, happily. “You did a great job, Marinette.”

“But, still-”   


“It’s important,” Tikki said, a little more sternly. “If you don’t want Adrien to discover your identity during this trip then you have to drink it. Just remember that you won’t be able to detransform at all until it wears off.” 

Marinette nodded in understanding. Tikki was right. This potion would provide her with only part of her transformation, allowing her to use the glamour effect when Tikki went into the earrings, but none of her other powers. Even if she wasn’t wearing the Ladybug costume, Adrien would not be able to tell it was her under the stand-in mask she had made. They would be able to enjoy their trip together without fear of an identity reveal. 

Marinette wasn’t ready for that yet. She wanted more than anything to be with Adrien, and all this- these measures she was taking- were meant to enable her to be with him without any of the other messy things in the way. And perhaps, by the end of it, Marinette would be ready to reveal a bit more of herself than she ever had before.

As she raised the cup to her lips, Marinette grimaced at the horrible, pungent smell and green liquid gave off. “Let’s get this over with,” she said to herself. She pinched her nose and downed it all in a few huge gulps. 

Marinette sat in silence in the middle of the hardwood floor. Tikki stared at her curiously while Marinette’s eyes looked around the room in anticipation of something. “I don’t feel any different.” Getting up to her feet, Marinette made her way over to the mirror that was hanging in the hallway. She stared intently at her own reflection, fingertips brushing along her skin. That didn’t feel different either. 

Tikki floated to Marinette’s side. The Kwami chewed on the tips of her hands nervously. “I can’t tell either. The magic doesn’t work on me.”   


“So, we just have to hope?” Marinette asked.

“Yes,” Tikki said. “Wear a mask and pray.”

\------------------------

“Ladybug” stood on the corner of the sidewalk near a bus stop blocks away from where her apartment actually was, her bags at her feet. On the outside, Ladybug had made sure she looked as calm and collected as possible. Her hands were still, folded neatly in front of her, and she didn’t so much as shift her weight onto another foot. Ladybug was stone. She was immovable. 

But on the inside, she was more nervous than she had ever been. 

Thankfully, there was no one else around to wonder why the weird lady with the red mask was standing on the street corner waiting to be picked up. The thoughts to go along with that question might have brought some crude conclusions. 

But, just as he had promised, Ladybug didn’t have to wait too long for Adrien to arrive. 

It was still the early hours of the morning, and with no other cars coming by he parked right on the side of the curb. He jogged around the side of the car, stopping just a few feet from her. Ladybug waited silently as Adrien leaned up against the side of the car, tossing his head back and forth. She swore she was watching him in slow motion, or just that Adrien’s glamour had never worn off on her. 

“Well, hello there,” Adrien said, quirking an eyebrow as he continued to pose next to the car like the model he was. “Do you come here often?”

Ladybug kept a straight face- or, tried to keep a straight face. After a few seconds, her composure broke and the laughter she had been holding in escaped her. She tried to stifle it by covering her hand with her mouth, but it wasn’t much use. Adrien pouted in response, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. The barely-there hint of a smile was visible on his face and Ladybug managed to push down the shaking laughter, walking over to him. 

His gaze was locked on hers in the next second. While previously Adrien had been looking at the ground, Ladybug watched as he looked up at her before his head even lifted. The angle had made his eyes seem so deep, and it was hard to tell which of them were actually getting lost in the middle of their staring contest. 

Silence lingered for several moments after. Wanting to fill that gap, Ladybug mustered up enough of her confidence to step forward, closing the space between them. She reached up, brushing some of the blond hair out of his eyes. If Adrien was going to be cheesy, the least she could was flirt back.

“I came here because you invited me, remember?” Ladybug asked, her fingers still trailing across his skin till her hand rested on his cheek. Adrien leaned into her touch and Ladybug couldn’t help the satisfied look that appeared on her face. 

“That- that I did,” Adrien stuttered. Whatever cool persona he had been putting on melted away at her touch. Ladybug relished in that. 

Adrien lifted her hand from his face and intertwined their fingers. He leaned forward, picking up her bags. “Let me get those for you.” 

Once everything was safely stored away in the truck, and Adrien had helped her into the car, opening the door for her like a true gentleman, they were off. The sun was a little higher in the sky now. Music played softly from the radio. Everything seemed to be perfectly peaceful by the time they were out of the city. 

“Are you comfortable?” Adrien asked, glancing over at her from the driver’s seat. “It’s a long drive.”

“I’ll be perfectly fine sitting in the car for a few hours,” Ladybug said. She reached across the dash, turning the radio up a little louder. “Let’s just relax for a while.” 

As she leaned back into her seat, Ladybug began humming along to the tune. She kicked off her pink flats, putting her feet up on the dash. Adrien was still looking over at her occasionally, but with much more interest now. 

“You know,” he said. “I’ve never seen you in shorts before.” 

Ladybug looked down, examining her red and black gingham shorts with matching three-quarter sleeve top, the first of many  _ wowee _ outfits she had made specifically for this trip. Adrien was talking about the shorts, but she knew he was more focused on her long and muscular legs propped up on the dash. 

“I’ve never seen you in anything besides the suit,” Adrien said. “Thought you couldn’t take it off without de-transforming. How did you manage that?”

“A lady never reveals her secrets,” Ladybug answered, still acutely aware of the aftertaste of the potion she spent all night making. It was doing the trick, though. She could sit here with Adrien feeling semi-normal. 

Ladybug’s breath caught in her throat as Adrien’s hand started reaching over towards her. His hand hovered over her knee for a moment before he finally touched her...

...And pushed her legs down off the dashboard. 

“Don’t do that. If we get into an accident, you’ll break every bone in your body,” he said. He mumbled more under his breath, but she could still hear him say,  _ “Which is ten times more likely when you do that.”  _

Ladybug smirked, but focused her eyes on the road ahead of them. “So what’s this cottage you’ve booked us like?”

Well, it’s right on the beach so we don’t even have to walk very far, and pretty secluded,” Adrien said. “A full kitchen, two bathrooms- because I know how we both are getting ready in the morning- and, um… two beds… Just in case.” 

“Okay,” Ladybug nodded. She bit the inside of her cheek. “Okay.” 

Adrien took one of his hands off the steering wheel, reaching over and taking one of her hands. He squeezed it in reassurance. “Hey,” Adrien said, pulling it across the console and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. “This weekend is going to be amazing. It’ll be good for us. I promise, we’re going to have a great time.” 

“Yeah,” Ladybug said, nodding. A smile broke out across her face. “Yeah. It’ll be perfect.” 

“Yeah?”   


“Absolutely.” 

\-------------------------

“So, there may have been a slight mix-up on my part,” Adrien said.

It had been a three and a half-hour drive to the secluded, beachside cottage. Ladybug was ready to get out and stretch her legs by the time it was over. They had both expected a nice, clean place to relax, but instead were faced with a rickety, old cottage that looked as though it were about to be blown over in the wind, overrun with ivy and other plants. 

Ladybug looked out towards the ocean, just a few yards away from the front door. She watched the waves roll in as she stretched her arms up over her head. “Let’s just take a nap for a while and then go for a walk. The weather’s nice, so it’s not like we have to spend all our time inside.” 

“Let me get the bags,” Adrien said, opening up the trunk. 

Ladybug made her way into the house first. As expected, the inside looked just as old as the outside, though nothing seemed to be broken. She was charmed by the quaint feel the place had. All the appliances seemed to be old-fashioned, but were a pretty, powder blue. The table was painted a similar color with red flowers carved into the legs, and the chairs were made in a similar style. 

As Adrien came through the door, his arms completely full, Ladybug rushed over to him. “You should have just left those. I would have gone back out for them,” she said, taking the grocery bags from his hands and leaving him with just the suitcases. “Stick those in the other room. I’ll start unloading these.”

Adrien kissed her on the cheek as he passed, heading toward the bedroom, while Ladybug went back into the kitchen. She set all the groceries down on the kitchen table and began to put things away in the fridge. 

“Hey, Bug? Can you come here a second?” Adrien called to her from the other room. 

Confused, Ladybug made her way to the bedroom. “What is it?”   


“Seems the cottage itself isn’t the only thing the website had wrong,” Adrien said.

Confused by what he meant, Ladybug looked past him into the room to see that Adrien was standing in front of the bed. The lone bed. She’d be honest if she said that she didn’t really mind it. Sharing a bed with him was no big deal at all. They’d done it before. 

Though Adrien had been the one who wanted the two beds in the first place. 

“Are you sure we’re at the right address?” Ladybug asked.

“Of course we’re at the right address,” Adrien laughed. “I’ve just been lied to on the internet. Should have seen it coming.” 

Ladybug stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his bicep and resting her chin on his shoulder. “Well, I could sleep out on the couch if you want.” 

“No, no. No, no, no.” Adrien said, shaking his head frantically, shifting his position so that he was completely facing her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “That is absolutely the last thing I want… Share with me, please?” 

Ladybug brightened up immediately, kissing the tip of his nose. “Oh, well, if you insist.” 

Adrien smiled back at her, giving her an equally sweet kiss on her nose. 

“Let me just go finish putting away the groceries and then we can go for a walk,” Ladybug said, heading back toward the kitchen.

“I thought you said you were going to take a nap first?” Adrien followed her into the kitchen taking the bag of dry goods they’d bought and heading toward the pantry. 

“Too excited now,” Ladybug answered. “And, it’s too nice outside.” 

\----------------

Adrien was probably finished getting ready for bed by now. He was probably waiting for her, wondering what was taking so long that she had been standing in the bathroom with the door locked for thirty minutes. 

Adrien probably couldn’t tell that the door was locked, but it would make things worse if he knew that fact. 

Ladybug was shutting him out. She couldn’t tell what had brought it on, but right at this moment, she needed some time to herself. 

Planning the trip had been nice, the car ride had been nice, the walk they took on the beach earlier had been nice. Everything was going perfectly, but still, Ladybug felt the need to lock the door and sit in there by herself. 

It’s not like Adrien would even see anything he shouldn’t. The potion completely protected her from that, and she would stay transformed for who knew how long now. Still, Ladybug had to shut herself away. 

She took one last look in the mirror, eyes tracing the edges of the mask on her face. She’d still be sleeping with it on. Adrien wouldn’t be able to wake up in the middle of the night and recognize Marinette’s face. 

It would be the first time she would be able to sleep by Adrien’s side without having to run out in the early morning before he woke up. 

Ladybug smiled at that, reaching to unlock the door as silently as possible. She stepped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. 

Adrien was already laying down on the bed. One hand was resting behind his head, the other splayed across his stomach. His bare stomach. 

Marinette knew she was fit. She knew. But it was nothing at all like Adrien. Getting to see him- live, and in person- her and only her- was nothing like looking at him on the cover of a magazine. 

He turned his head to the side, letting it fall lazily as he looked at her with tired eyes. A smile spread slowly across his face and he moved his hand from behind his head. He laid it out across the other side of the bed, inviting her to join him, and there was no way she could say no. 

Ladybug lay down in bed next to him, resting her head on his bicep as he reached up to tangle his fingers in her hair. Their faces were incredibly close, and she was suddenly wondering if she had remembered to brush her teeth. 

“You look absolutely beautiful, Bug,” Adrien said in a soft voice. 

His other arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer to him. Their legs tangled together, wrapped in sheets and blankets. Those were wholly unnecessary with the warm summer temperatures, and Ladybug felt hot enough anyway just looking at him. 

“Do you want to go for a picnic tomorrow?” Adrien asked. “We’ve got all day to do absolutely nothing.” 

“That sounds perfect,” Ladybug said. “I don’t care what we do. We’re spending this time together.” 

“How about a picnic and sailing?” Adrien suggested.

“Do you have a boat?”   


“I could get us a boat,” Adrien answered. “I’ll get you anything in the world. I’ll get you the moon.” 

“Okay, you’re so tired you’re slipping into cheesy territory,” Ladybug said, pushing back from him a little. “We should get some sleep so you’re not like this all day tomorrow.”   


“I thought you liked me being cheesy?” Adrien asked, furrowing his eyebrows. 

Ladybug chuckled. “Only in moderation.” 

Adrien’s expression turned into a mock pout. “What else do you like about me?”   


“Haven’t we been over this before?”   


“Yes, but I want to hear it again.” 

Ladybug paused, thinking for a moment. “I like… your eyes. I like your hair, especially how it always seems to be perfectly soft,” she said, laughing in between the last few words. “I like how you make me smile every single day, and you always have something nice to say about everyone-”   


“Especially you,” Adrien interrupted.

“Especially me,” Ladybug nodded. She pulled his arm away from her waist and intertwined their fingers between their chests. “I like that you allow me to call you ‘mine.’ Adrien Agreste lets me call him mine.” 

“I’m yours,” he whispered back to her, letting his eyes flutter shut. 

Ladybug pressed her forehead to his, focusing on the sound of his breathing. They’d fall asleep there like that. And wake up together, too.

\--------------------------

Ladybug held tightly to the straw sunhat she was wearing. The green ribbon tied around the brim was flapping around wildly in the breeze, periodically hitting her in the face. She was standing on the beach, watching Adrien wade in the water from afar with the excuse that she didn’t want to get her dress wet. Ladybug had told him she would stay back and set up their picnic blanket. 

Adrien waved at her just as another wave crashed into him, pulling him under the water. She waved back at him as he resurfaced, and beckoned him over to her. Ladybug held a towel out to him as he approached. She sat down on the blanket while waiting for him to join her, and began setting out the plates she had packed in the picnic basket.

“You hungry?” Ladybug asked.

“Hmmm…” Adrien sat down, legs crossed, on the opposite side of the blanket. He was eyeing all the different food, but still keeping his hands folded nicely in his lap. “I think I smell a few of those raspberry scones you baked this morning-”   


“Those are for dessert,” Ladybug said, handing him a plate and reaching into the basket for one of the tupperware containers. She lifted the lid, revealing an assortment of meat pies. “Will this do for now?”

Adrien let out an exaggerated groan, getting on his knees to lean across the blanket and kiss the tip of Ladybug’s nose. “I have to be the luckiest man in France. Who would have known that Paris’ best superhero would be such a good baker?”

“Well, I thought I’d spoil you,” Ladybug said, sliding one of the pies onto his plate. 

“So, you get to spoil me,” Adrien replied, “but I don’t get to spoil you?”   


Ladybug reached back into the basket, pulling out the assortment of vegetables and fruits to go along with the food, as well as the champagne. Adrien took the bottle from her and popped it open effortlessly. After pouring each of them a glass, they clinked them together. Ladybug was careful not to drink it all at once. She wanted to enjoy everything about this afternoon as slowly as possible. That way it wouldn’t end all too quickly.

“So, the baking,” Adrien said. He moved into a lounging, relaxed position, propping his torso up with his elbow. “Was that your subtle way of telling me more about yourself?”

“I guess so,” Ladybug said with a nod. “I figured…why not spill some harmless information about myself? It’s not like you can figure out my identity just because you know I’m good at baking.” 

Ladybug looked down at her hands in her lap. She was picking at the white polka dots on her red dress in a nonsensical pattern. Keeping her hands busy was much easier than focusing on the words she was saying. “Besides,” she said. “I feel… guilty. I have an unfair advantage of getting to hide a lot of myself.” 

Adrien nodded slowly, squinting his eyes as he looked off at the bright horizon. “I guess that’s true. To be fair, I am a pretty open book. Anything you wanted to know about me you could pick up and read in a magazine, but - I guess I could do the same for you but anything they write is merely speculation.” 

“What’s something about you I know that your adoring public doesn’t?” Ladybug asked.

Adrien clasped his hands together. Ladybug could tell that he was biting at the inside of his cheek, and his gaze drifted away’s off for a moment before returned square to her. It took him a long time to break the silence, however, but when he did, Adrien acted as though it had never happened at all. He sat up suddenly, a smile returning to his face. “You see this mole on my back,” he said, lifting his shirt and turning around to show her. Ladybug burst out laughing. “They always photoshop that out. I don’t know what people’s problem is with it.” 

“It’s cute,” Ladybug said, unable to stop laughing as Adrien kept pointing at it and glancing over his shoulder to see if she was looking.

“You’re right. It  _ is _ cute,” Adrien answered. He finally put his shirt back down and turned back around to face her. It took them both a minute to get their giggling to die down, and Ladybug took another sip of her champagne to try and stifle it. Adrien reached for the bottle to pour her more. “Do- do you have any blemishes you might want to share?”

“Hmm, no way you’re getting me to do that,” Ladybug said, shaking her head and looking at him suspiciously. “I could be horribly breaking out under this mask right now and you would never know.” 

Adrien set the bottle in the sand next to him, twisting it around. His lips were drawn into a tight line, brows furrowed, as if considering something he knew he shouldn’t be thinking about. 

“Would you ever consider taking the mask off in front of me?” Adrien asked.

Ladybug bit the inside of her cheek, looking off towards the sea. She knew that her secret identity was always a huge elephant in the room. The only thing that Ladybug could do was hope that everything would be okay between them in spite of it. 

“I-I’m not asking you to do it or- or anything,” Adrien said, breaking the silence. “It’s a hypothetical question. You don’t have to answer-”   


“Ask me again next time we go somewhere like this,” Ladybug said. 

Adrien nodded slowly. He seemed to understand. He always did. 

A strong gust of wind blew past them, and before she could catch it, Ladybug’s hat was blown off her head and down the beach. They hopped up to their feet immediately, and Adrien was already racing off after it before she could follow. 

“Just wait there!” he shouted back to her. “I’ll bring it back!” 

Ladybug stood frozen in place, toes sinking into the sand. She couldn’t help but sigh as she watched him run off. He’d be back soon, smiling and acting as though the conversation hadn’t just happened. She would match his mood, but the idea would still remain. 

She wondered what it would be like if she just gave in then. Took off the mask and dropped her transformation before he came back. Adrien would probably have a heart attack, finding Marinette, his friend since  _ collège _ , standing in the place of Ladybug. 

No, it would have to be more delicate than that. Though, she would admit, the idea almost made her laugh. How long would it take him to realize that when he went home after a night out with Alya, Nino, and Marinette, that she would be turning right around to transform into Ladybug and meet his apartment almost immediately afterward? God, the things she did to make him happy on both sides of her double life. 

It would certainly be a shock.

\-----------------------------------------------

The rain came in the evening. It hadn’t been on the forecast, but wasn’t unheard of for this time of year. Adrien and Ladybug sat on the couch together, trying to work up the motivation to make dinner when they would both rather stay in each other’s arms watching the beautiful summer storm through the window. 

Ladybug had thrown on an oversized sweater over her dress, and between that and Adrien’s tight embrace around her, she felt perfectly warm and comfortable. 

“Are you going to fall asleep here?” Adrien asked her. 

“We need to eat,” Ladybug said, snuggling further in.

“Yeah, because that’s the most important thing right now,” Adrien said. “We can eat later. Stay here.” 

“I wasn’t moving.” Ladybug twisted her body around so they were facing each other. It took some maneuvering on the small couch, but soon they were pressed chest to chest instead of back to back. “Nothing is going to take me away from you right now.” 

Ladybug rested her head against Adrien’s shoulder, and she could feel his chest vibrating as he let out a soft hum. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “This is perfect. Exactly what we needed.” 

“Yeah,” Ladybug responded, her voice barely audible. 

“Maybe we should just stay here,” Adrien said. “I know we both have things back in Paris, but when do we get to do stuff like this together normally? At 3 am? Never in the morning or afternoon for sure.” 

“Just because things are different there doesn’t mean we still can’t try,” Ladybug said. “It’s h-hard, but that’s why we do things like this sometimes. And it’s not like other couples don’t face the problem of time management.” 

Adrien didn’t say anything, but Ladybug could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply. Opening her eyes again, she snaked her hand out from where it had been trapped by his arm draped over her. In their close proximity, she had to trail her fingers along his chest till she reached his jaw, tracing the sharp angle. The muscles in Adrien’s face tensed and relaxed as he pressed into her touch. 

Ladybug shimmied a little further up the couch so their eyes were at the same level. His had been closed as well this whole time, but one cracked open. The corners of his mouth turned up into a dopey grin.

Ladybug wanted to smile. Her entire being was bursting with happiness, but she could only keep the serious expression on her face. She wanted him to understand, completely, that she sincerely meant every ounce of feeling she felt for him. 

“I want to try. So much. Today. Tomorrow,” Ladybug said. “Every day after we leave here. Spending time with you like this has made me want you so much more.” 

Adrien shifted, moving downward till he could bury his face in the crook of her neck, in her hair. He was holding her so tightly, Ladybug felt as though she might break. 

“I love you  _ so much, _ my lady,” Adrien said. 

She did break. 

Ladybug sat up immediately. “What did you say?”   


Adrien came to a seated position much more slowly than she had. His expression was blank, but Ladybug could see the panic that he was trying to hide in his eyes. “I said- I love you, Bug.” 

“I heard the  _ I love you _ . I love you, too. We’ll come back to that,” Ladybug said, looking at him more closely. “But did you...did you call me  _ my lady? _

Adrien gulped. They sat in silence, Adrien completely unable to answer her question, which was more of an answer than if he had said anything at all.

Ladybug rolled off the couch, walking to the other side of the room. Her heart was pounding in her chest, matching the pitter-patter of the rain outside. She turned sharply on her heel to face him, still sitting there wringing his hands in his lap. 

_ “Ha.”  _ Ladybug placed her hands on her hips, mouth hung open in shock. “It’s you. It’s you- It’s been  _ you  _ this entire time.” 

Adrien made eye contact with her for the first time since his slip-up. “Are you mad?”

“Am I  _ mad?” _ Ladybug repeated. Mad was not the right word. Not even the right emotion. Right now, she felt- she wanted to- Ladybug wanted-

She wanted to walk over there right now and kiss him.

“I know this is bad,” Adrien said, standing to his feet. “I’ve been lying to you this entire time-”   


“No, no. No, no, no, no, no. No. That’s not an issue,” Ladybug said. She gestured to herself frantically, letting her hands drop to her sides. “I have pretty much been lying to you  _ this entire time.  _ Nothing about this has been fair. For either of us.” 

“I didn’t want to keep it from you,” Adrien said. “You were just so adamant about keeping our identities secret-” 

“Tikki, spots off.” 

Ladybug shut her eyes tightly. Hesitantly, she opened one eye. And then the other. 

Adrien was still standing on the other side of the room, dumbfounded. She had been expecting some reaction, not just a blank face. 

But Tikki wasn’t in the room now either.

“Spots off,” Ladybug repeated, and still nothing happened. There was no magical pink glow, nothing felt different. “Tikki, spots off!” 

“Hey, hey,” Adrien said, crossing the room and grasping hold of her arms. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do this.” 

Ladybug reached up and threw off the makeshift mask, letting it fall to the ground. She was staring straight into Adrien’s eyes, but still, there was no change in the way he was looking at her. “You really don’t notice  _ anything _ different about me?”

Slowly Adrien reached up, caressing her cheek and leaning in closer. “It’s like I’m meeting you for the first time,” he said. “Can I ask you…what your name is?”

Marinette choked back a sob, stepping back out of his grasp. She knew this dumb potion had been a bad idea. Now Adrien had revealed himself and she couldn't even do the same. Adrien tried to reach out for her again, both of them distressed by the change in her mood and the tears falling down her face. 

“Bug, calm down,” Adrien pleaded. “What’s wrong? Please, talk to me. Please, tell me what’s wrong?”

Marinette just kept stepping farther and farther away from him, but he wouldn’t cease his advances. “Please, stop it- Please, make it stop. Just wear off already!” 

“What’s happening?” Adrien asked. “What needs to be fixed? Just tell me, Ladybug. Please!” 

Shaking her head, Marinette turned on her heel as fast as she could before he could take hold of her again. She was already at the front door before Adrien could react, grabbing her coat and hat and taking off toward the beach. 

The rain was coming down hard now, and the extra clothes she had grabbed barely did a thing to keep her from getting soaked. The loose ground made her movements unsteady, and she tripped and fell as she tried to get farther and farther away from the cottage. Between her tears and the rain blocking her vision, Marinette could barely see a thing. 

Eventually, Marinette just fell to her knees in the sand. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest. Maybe the rain would just wash away everything. She hoped- she wished it would.

“Please,” Marinette said to the open air. “Please, please, just let me change- change back. I just want him to see me. I just want him to see  _ me.” _

_ “Ladybug!”  _

She heard Adrien calling her name somewhere in the distance. Marinette didn’t know whether to get up and run some more, or to let him find her. The pain she felt now, and would feel again, at letting him see her face without recognizing it was too great. 

Marinette had to get up to her feet and keep moving no matter what. Adrien couldn’t find her here. Not like this.

“Ladybug!” Adrien called again. She could barely make out his figure in the dark, but he was close to her now. 

Marinette stumbled to her feet, ready to run. 

“Please, wait!” Adrien shouted. She refused to listen.

Just as Marinette was about to turn away and run, her hat flew off her head, heading towards the water. She screamed at the suddenness of it, trying to move quickly to catch it before it was swept away by the harsh waves. 

Adrien rushed past her into the ocean, water splashing all around him as she ran farther against the waves until he was waist-deep. 

The rain was dying down now, just barely to a drizzle, and the clouds were starting to part, revealing the moon above. There was a little light on the beach now. Just enough for Marinette to see properly. 

Adrien was bathed in the moonlight, and she was caught by it, stuck as she watched his dashing rescue of her hat. 

“Is this what you were looking for?!” Adrien shouted back to her from the water, turning slowly to face her with the hat in hand. 

As soon as his eyes fell upon her, there was something different about the way he looked at her. Adrien’s mouth hung open in shock and he stilled, as though all life had left his body. 

Marinette began walking forward, just to where the water reached up to her ankles, and Adrien moved to meet her. She couldn’t think of a single word to describe the way he looked walking out of the ocean. His entire body was soaked to the skin, water dripping from his hair down his face. Adrien seemed to move in slow motion, so she could savor every millisecond of his approach. 

Adrien didn’t say a word when he reached her, but put the soaking wet hat back on her head. His brows were furrowed, eyes staring intensely at her. 

“Wh-why are you looking at me like that?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien’s hands cupped her cheeks, drawing her in and up onto her tiptoes as he craned his neck downward. His lips met hers softly, the kiss gentle and sweet. Adrien was tense, but Marinette felt her entire body relax into it. As soon as she was wrapped up in his arms, Adrien kissed her much more intensely. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, her small frame pressed flush against him. This had been… entirely unexpected, but she couldn’t think of anything else she wanted more.

When Adrien pulled away, gone was the intense stare. He was looking at her tenderly, holding her as gently as possible. His voice sounded hoarse when he spoke. “I know you.” 

“Who am I to you?” Ladybug asked. 

Adrien pressed another kiss to her lips, barely pulling away. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

There was something about the way he said her name now that was different than any time, ever before. It was the same way he had said  _ Ladybug _ in the past, in soft whispers or muffled sounds as it fell from his lips as he pressed them against her own.  _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng _ was now a name dripping with the same deep, romantic love. 

Adrien loved her. No matter what.

Marinette couldn't stop herself from throwing her arms around Adrien’s neck. Her feet weren’t even on the ground anymore as he spun her around wildly in his arms. He lost his balance, sending them crashing down into the sand with Marinette laying across his chest. 

They were both laughing, completely drunk with joy. Marinette propped herself up with elbows on his chest. Adrien’s hands trailed down her spine. “What are the odds of this?”

“No odds,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “This is fate.” 

“There’s no rational explanation for us to be this lucky,” Adrien said. “Well, not be. Maybe for you, Lady Luck.” 

Marinette rolled off him, lying by his side with her head resting on his arm. They were both trying to calm themselves, letting their hearts rest as they looked up at the starry night sky. 

“You know,” Adrien said, sounding slightly out of breath. “I knew this trip was going to change things between us. I just didn’t think it would be this drastic.”

Marinette sat up and Adrien followed. His hand reached over to her, running his fingers through her wet and sand-covered hair. 

“Does this mean you won’t be calling me Bug anymore?” Marinette asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Adrien shifted so he was sitting in front of her, as close as possible. He pressed a kiss to her lips, short and sweet. “I’ll call you Bug,” he said, kissing her again. “My lady…” 

“Mon minou,” Marinette whispered back, giving him a kiss of her own. “Chaton…”

Marinette smiled as he pressed a final kiss to her lips and pulled back, speaking softly.  _ “My _ Marinette.” 


End file.
